GIANT containers of vital aid for tsunami victims which have been left to rot at a Sri Lankan port because of a red tape wrangle have now been released - thanks to the Evening Mail.

GIANT containers of vital aid for tsunami victims which have been left to rot at a Sri Lankan port because of a red tape wrangle have now been released - thanks to the Evening Mail.

A total of five 40ft containers carrying clothing and food aid from Birmingham and medical aid from Heartlands hospital, were seized shortly after arriving at the port of Colombo in February.

They were among hundreds of legitimate containers bound for families in tsunami-hit coastal towns which were impounded when ammunition and drugs were found elsewhere at the port.

The costs of the Birmingham containers were met by shipping executive Lakhdeep Singh Panesar of Pan Line Ltd.

He worked for hours on end with members of his temple the Ramgharia Sikh Temple, on Graham Street, Hockley, to sort out the aid and prepare the containers for shipping.

After hearing from a disheartened Mr Panesar, the Evening Mail tracked down the goods which were paid for and donated by the people of Birmingham.

After a string of phone calls to Sri Lankan authorities, an official said the containers had now been released and are heading to the worst hit regions of Sri Lanka.

A spokesman from the Sri Lankan High Commission in London said a problem occurred when the containers were sent to an individual rather than an official group dealing with Tsunami aid entering the country.

He said: "The Department of Social Services in Sri Lanka have confirmed that the goods have been cleared and distributed. A technical problem was made as the goods were consigned to the name of an individual who is the president of an international organisation.

"He later handed over all of the documents to the Department of Social Services who have cleared it."

Mr Panesar's friend Perminder Devgun was supposed to travel to Sri Lanka to oversee the distribution of the goods.

A delighted Mr Devgun said: "It is fantastic news if they really have been released.

"Thanks to the Evening Mail for making the authorities do something about it."

A spokeswoman from the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust said: "Thanks to the Evening Mail our container of aid for Sri Lanka will now reach the people in need of help.

"The staff and local community who gave so generously will be delighted with this news."